The Never Realm
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: While visiting Sir Finlay and Gabriella, Cedric and Sofia are surprised to learn of an uprising of the dark world that once caused Arabella's life to spiral out of control: The Never Realm. (References specifically to "Arabella" as well as all the other Helvetian Family stories)
1. Dark Truths

The Never Realm

Summary: While visiting Sir Finlay and Gabriella, Cedric and Sofia are surprised to learn of an uprising of the dark world that once caused Arabella's life to spiral out of control: The Never Realm. (References specifically to "Arabella" as well as all the other Helvetian Family stories)

Disclaimer: I only own Sir Finlay, Gabriella, Sapphire, Davina, Arabella, and the concept of the Never Realm.

A/N: Hi, everyone! :D First of all, I'm glad everyone seemed to enjoy "Bad Habits." That was straight out of my caffeinated, sugar-induced brain when I just wondered, "I wonder what it would be like if _Sofia_ turned bad—for real." And bam, there you go. 😉 And of course, I had to have that sappy ending. :D It's part of my nature by now, so I'm sticking with it. Lol! Oh, and since I had so many who were interested in the Q&A chat, I will be making one. Right now, it's scheduled for Saturday, March 2, at 6:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST. I will have a link to the site on both my bio page and my main Wix site by Friday. It will be at the TOP of the bio page here on FF, so keep an eye out for it. Also, there will be certain rules to maintain a civil conversation, so please preview those before the site goes live. With that being said, let's venture back into the land of Helvetica and see how my favorite OC family is doing! 😊

* * *

Chapter 1: Dark Truths

* * *

"I never get tired of coming here," Sofia gushed happily as she and Cedric approached the castle of Helvetica on foot, the AutoCoach parked off to the side for now. As they had come straight from a sorcery seminar, she was dressed in her sorceress outfit with her hair halfway up, fastened in the new hydrangea barrette Cedric had given her for her birthday a few weeks ago. She hadn't had to use the shield yet, but it was somewhat comforting to know that it was nearby should she need it.

They'd visited with Sir Finlay and his family several times, but today would be the first time in years that they'd seen Arabella, who was always elsewhere when they stopped by.

"I must say, I'm in agreement," Cedric admitted with a small chuckle. "And I honestly wasn't expecting our visit to be for Mrs. Gabriella's birthday."

"_And_ Ms. Arabella. Don't forget—they're twins."

"Right, right…" The sorcerer sighed as they kept walking. While he did enjoy Sir Finlay and his family (especially little Sapphire, who'd taken a liking to him when she was a toddler), he was a little wary around Arabella. She was nice and everything, but she still had quite the scandalous past since she'd been associated with a dark magic cult from the Never Realm. Not that _he_ was perfect or unaffected by the desolate realm, but he still tried to stay as far from the cultish place as possible—especially now that he had Sofia to look after as his closest friend and partner.

Sofia frowned curiously before gently clasping his hand, drawing him out of his thoughtful state. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he assured her calmly. "I suppose I'm just a little hesitant about…" He shrugged. "Well, Ms. Arabella was involved with that dark magic cult, and those are linked with the Never Realm, which…"

"Which you are afraid of, and you have every right to be." She smiled as he paused before nodding. "Don't worry, Mr. Cedric. It's just a visit to Sir Finlay and his family. It's not like we're _going_ to the Never Realm…" She then blinked at her words. "Can you actually _go _there these days?"

"Of course, you can, but _we_ won't be going." He shuddered a bit. "The moment you enter that realm, it's like every morsel of happiness and goodness gets sapped from you, and you're left a mindless, empty shell." He stopped right near the entrance to the doors, which the guards were positioned by, and took her other hand. "I won't have that happening to you, Sofia. I don't ever want to see what an emotionless, vacant, disparaging Sofia looks like."

The princess gently squeezed both of his hands. "You don't have to worry about that, Mr. Cedric. I intend to stay in _this_ realm or in the Mystic Isles. Besides, why go where I _know_ bad things will happen?"

"Even if you're summoned there on a Protector mission?" He had hesitated to ask that question, because he knew she'd falter a bit—and she did. Being a Protector was just as second nature to her now as being a princess or being a Story Keeper. And more recently, being a sorceress. It was technically her job (one of them, anyway), and she always tried to do the job set forth by the other Protectors.

"Well…" She sighed, seeing the disappointed look on her partner's face. "If I _do_ get summoned there for some reason, I'll… I'll take someone powerful with me—like Mr. Orion."

"Hmm." He still wasn't sure how he felt about that. He respected Orion a great deal, especially after all he'd done to help Sofia in the past, but this was still the most important person in his life; he wasn't about to lose her to a realm dedicated to destroying innocence and happiness. Sofia _was_ innocence and happiness. "We'll talk about this later." He released one of her hands before pulling her toward the door, stopping next to the guards. "We are visitors from Enchancia: Princess Sofia and Cedric the Great. Sir Finlay is expecting us."

The older guard smiled pleasantly. "Ah, yes! Sir Finlay was just informing us of your visit this morning. So pleased to finally make your acquaintance. I'm Prescott, and this is Schmidt." He gestured toward a smaller, squatter man who smiled happily and waved enthusiastically. "He, unfortunately, doesn't say much, but he's pleasant company."

Sofia giggled. "Sure seems that way. Nice to meet you both."

"Follow us, and we will get you to Sir Finlay," Prescott announced, opening the doors to the castle.

* * *

Instead of entering the other sorcerer's workshop or even his private quarters like they'd expected, the guards instead led the friends to a large common room in the center of the castle. It possessed an ivory and ice-blue scheme, and the large fireplace was already lit (as it was nearing the beginning of November and growing steadily colder each day). The room was cozy despite its size, filled with plenty of plush rugs and sofas as well as armchairs. Several portraits lined the walls, depicting King Cyprus and his family in a few and random snapshots of the kingdom in others.

On one of those sofas sat Sir Finlay, Gabriella, and Arabella, all of whom were watching an older Sapphire playing with her little sister Davina on the rug.

"Sir Finlay," Prescott began, smiling toward the sorcerer, "your company has arrived." He ushered the Enchancians inside before quickly guiding Schmidt out and shutting the door behind them.

"Sofia?" Sapphire asked, gasping as she stood to her feet. Her accent was beginning to sound more like Sir Finlay's, which was even more adorable than they could have imagined. She was a bit taller now—six years old, as a matter of fact. Her hair was tied into two silver ponytails that fell just past her shoulders. True to her normal style, she wore a teal dress with white cuffs on the long sleeves. She also had on some white tights and matching boots. The mini sorceress grinned, her sapphire eyes glimmering. "Ceddy!" She giggled as she ran over to Cedric, jumping into his arms and nearly causing him to topple over.

"Whoa!" Cedric laughed as he caught her haphazardly. "Oh, Sapphire, it's… It's nice to see you too."

The little girl giggled as she placed her hands on his cheeks, playfully squishing them together and causing him to make a startled noise. "Yes, it is. It is always nice to see me!" She grinned cutely.

"She's certainly not low on self-esteem," Sofia laughed as Cedric managed to pry the child from his face and place her to the floor. The princess then smiled as the mini sorceress hugged her next. "How have you been, Sapphire?"

"I've been great!" she enthused, bubbly as always. "I've taught Davvy how to say my name!"

"Really now?" Cedric chuckled as he walked over and shook Sir Finlay's hand before getting an unexpected hug from both twin sisters.

"Cedric, you're looking well-traveled," Gabriella teased, grinning as he gave her a pointed look. "You just have that 'I've-Seen-Things' air about you now."

"Ha-ha, Mrs. Gabriella. Very funny." He rolled his eyes before acknowledging the other twin. "Ms. Arabella, how have you been?"

The red-clad sister smiled somewhat uncertainly before shrugging. "I guess I can't complain." She then looked beyond him to the princess, who was kneeling before Davina and sweetly talking to her. "Oh, my stars, I just realized… Is that Princess Sofia?" She gasped as she approached the teenager, who stood to her full height. "Wow, the last time I saw you was when you were, what? Eleven? Twelve? How old are you now?"

Sofia laughed. "I just turned eighteen."

"Shut _up_!" Arabella grinned as she circled her. "Wow, girl, young adulthood has been good to you." She sighed dramatically as she scooped the younger girl's loosened hair into her hands, showing it off to her sister and brother-in-law. "You see this? _This_ is amazing! She's giving Rapunzel a run for her money!"

The princess giggled as Arabella released her hair. "I've met Rapunzel, and trust me… I'm nowhere near close to her hair length." She glanced down as she felt a tug on her robe. Smiling, she gathered the toddler into her arms. "Hi again, Davina!"

Davina, now two years old, certainly looked more like her mother. Her hair was braided into twin, dark-brown ponytails on either side of her head, a little purple headband with a lavender flower resting on top of her head. She was dressed in a purple flowing pantsuit with tiny lavender flowers throughout, and her feet were covered in matching flats. Her curious brown eyes roved over the teen's face as she finally smiled at her. "Sofi!"

Sofia laughed. "Close enough." She pointed toward Cedric, who, once again, had Sapphire practically clinging to his leg. "Who's that?"

"Ceddy!"

Cedric sighed yet smiled. "That nickname has spanned from my mother to my sister and niece, and now down to these two." He eyed Sofia pointedly as he noticed her lips twitching into a smirk. "Don't you _dare_ think of starting. It's bad enough you butchered my name the entire first year of knowing me. You owe it to me to at _least_ continue calling me by my proper name."

The princess sighed, pouting as she rested her forehead against Davina's, eliciting a giggle from the toddler. "So, that's Ceddy to you, huh? Sorry, can't relate." She smiled as the toddler hugged her, resting her head on her shoulder. "She's such a huggable little girl, isn't she?"

"She's always been that way," Sir Finlay admitted. "While our little Sapphire is more independent these days, Davina seems to prefer being near people."

"I'm okay with that," Sofia laughed. "Mr. Cedric can tell you: I love hugs."

Cedric rolled his eyes. "I think that's the biggest understatement I've ever heard." He then smiled pleasantly toward the Helvetians. "So! I nearly forgot, but allow us to say happy birthday to you both, Mrs. Gabriella and Ms. Arabella."

"Well, thanks, Cedric," Arabella spoke gently before sighing as she sat on the sofa once more. "Unfortunately, this birthday comes with probably the worst news ever…" She smiled appreciatively as Sapphire climbed into her lap and hugged her gently. The woman wrapped her arms around her niece, rocking her gently.

Sofia frowned as Davina sat up, glancing toward the forlorn adults in the room. "What exactly have we missed?"

Sir Finlay sighed as he gestured toward an empty loveseat. "You two may as well sit down. It's not necessarily a long story, but it is somewhat discouraging."

Cedric and Sofia exchanged glances before obliging, sitting down next to each other as Davina squirmed out of the princess's hold and hurried over to Gabriella, who picked her up and settled her in her lap as she and her husband both sat next to Arabella.

"What's going on, Finlay?" Cedric asked seriously.

"It's the Never Realm," the older sorcerer responded solemnly. His eyes narrowed a bit as he noticed Arabella's small intake of air. He knew this was a touchy subject for her, but the Enchancians _had_ to know this information. "They're uprising, and from what we've gathered, they're sending out evil into our Ever Realm in rather unexpected manners."

Cedric frowned as Sofia grasped his hands for some form of comfort, and he gently held them as he addressed Sir Finlay, "What do you mean by 'rather unexpected manners?'"

Gabriella patted Davina's back as the toddler leaned against her shoulder and sucked her thumb. "They're recruiting preteens, weak-minded individuals, and even children in some cases. They lure them in with promises that sound too good to be true, and people start disappearing."

"That's terrible," Sofia gasped.

"Tell me about it. I won't even let Sapphire and Davina out of my sight now." The older sorceress huffed. "This is no way for our kids to live, but I'm not about to have them fall prey to that awful realm."

Arabella instinctively reached for her sleeve on her right arm and attempted to cover up her hand, but it was to no avail. The sleeve was too short. Her hands with their dark marks were still on display. "The Never Realm and all the cults that are a part of it will say anything—_do_ anything—to get you to join them. With me, they managed to lure me in because of my love for Liam."

Sapphire noticed her aunt shaking, so she turned around in her lap and grasped one of her hands, allowing some of her magic to flow from herself into the woman, instantly calming her.

"Thanks, Sapphire…" Arabella smiled as Sapphire turned back to her and hugged her again. She returned the little girl's hug before telling the others, "They used my affections for Liam against me, telling me that if I learned all these spells and acquired these marks with the so-called 'incantations,' that I'd be able to have my heart's desire. Well, we all know how _that_ turned out… I lost Liam, my family until just recently, and my dignity, but I was still left with these stupid marks. And no magic in the world is able to eradicate them."

"So, you're just stuck with them until…" Sofia trailed off, not wanting to finish her statement with children present.

"_Hasta la muerte_," Arabella concluded, frowning as she saw Sofia nodding in comprehension. "Don't be dumb like me, kids. If you love someone, just tell them. Don't use mind control, fancy spells or potions, or dark magic to get what you want, because it will only cause more trouble." She finally grinned toward Gabriella, who blinked at her uncertainly. "At least that's _one_ thing my crabby sister managed to do right: she snagged one of the hottest guys ever just by being her rude, sarcastic, hot-headed self."

Gabriella flushed in anger. "Excuse me!"

"I hate to break up this lovely sisterly moment," Sir Finlay cut in, "but seeing as it _is_ the birthday of you two young ladies…"

Both Gabriella and Arabella couldn't help smiling at the 'young' part, despite the fact that they'd previously been arguing. They were in their thirties yet still acted like teenagers sometimes.

"I think at least a celebration is in order," the Helvetian Royal Sorcerer concluded. "After all, it's the main reason Princess Sofia and Cedric were so kind to travel all this way. What do you say to that?"

"Yay!" Sapphire cheered, causing her little sister to start doing the same (though she had no idea why).

Sofia laughed as Cedric smiled and nodded. "That sounds like fun!"

"What exactly do you have planned, Finny?" Gabriella asked curiously, grinning as he leaned down and kissed her.

"You'll see, _mon cher_."

Arabella, meanwhile, winced as she felt several points in her hands begin burning intensely for a few seconds before stopping all of a sudden. She frowned as she realized that the focal point of the pain had been… "The marks," she whispered to herself.

"Ms. Arabella, are you okay?" Sofia asked in concern, causing the others to turn and look at her as well.

The red-clad sorceress nodded before laughing the situation off. "I'm with Finlay! Let's get this party started!" While the others seemed satisfied with her response, she frowned and glanced back at her hands again, never noticing that Davina was watching her closely as she lay against her mother's shoulder and continued sucking her thumb.

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Cultish Upheaval


	2. Cultish Upheaval

The Never Realm

Summary: While visiting Sir Finlay and Gabriella, Cedric and Sofia are surprised to learn of an uprising of the dark world that once caused Arabella's life to spiral out of control: The Never Realm. (References specifically to "Arabella" as well as all the other Helvetian Family stories)

Disclaimer: I only own Sir Finlay, Gabriella, Sapphire, Davina, Arabella, and the concept of the Never Realm.

A/N: This chapter will be a little bit shorter than the first, but what happens with Arabella in here is a direct correlation with what sort of dark powers the Never Realm possesses. It will also give you a pretty good idea of what our duo will be up against in the upcoming stories…in a manner of speaking, anyway. You're about to learn a secret about a certain someone in here too. 😊

* * *

Chapter 2: Cultish Upheaval

* * *

Arabella had somehow managed to will away the pain her hands were causing her, and before she knew it, there was nothing left at all. It was so strange how that had occurred out of nowhere, but she wasn't about to question it.

The girls had already given their mother a hand-made card and some "birthday cookies." Arabella got much the same, but she received some varieties of candy instead (which she preferred anyway). Cedric and Sofia had not given them anything, as requested. They instead enjoyed just having the duo as company, which was better than a typical gift, according to the sisters.

"Happy birthday, my darling," Sir Finlay told his wife kindly as he passed her a gift. "I hope you like it."

Gabriella smiled playfully as she untied the black ribbon from the purple box. "There hasn't been a single gift you've gotten me all these years that I haven't loved, Finlay. I'm sure this will be no different." When she opened the lid, she withdrew what appeared to be a tiara with sparkling amethyst stones. She then blinked before eyeing her husband curiously. "Uh, Finny? You _do_ realize I'm not royal, right?"

"Perhaps not," he started as he took the diadem from her hands, nestling it atop her head, "but you are the queen of my heart, _mon cher_."

Gabriella blushed as Arabella made an over-exaggerated gagging sound, laughing as her twin balled up some of the inner fabric lining and threw it at her to get her to stop.

"I just wish you guys would have let us bring you something too," Sofia told the sisters with a sheepish smile. "I feel sort of bad not having something for you."

"Oh, nonsense, Sofia," Gabriella laughed. "You've done more than enough for all of us at this point. And just being here—both of you—is plenty. Trust me."

"I agree," Arabella concurred. "To be honest, before I met you two, I thought all royals were scumbags who had too much power and not enough empathy."

Sofia's smile fell from her face, replaced with an annoyed deadpanned stare. "Gee, thanks."

The red-clad twin laughed. "_But_ you more than proved me wrong. And like Gabby said, we're grateful for everything you and Cedric have done for us. You're like our unrelated, newly-discovered 'cousins' or something."

"I'm surprisingly fine with that," Cedric told them as he felt Davina tugging at his ear. She'd somehow squirmed out of her mother's arms not long ago and made herself at home between him and Sofia. He winced a bit before gently taking her tiny fist and lowering it, smiling patiently at the little girl. "Easy there, little one."

Davina just grinned at him. "CEDDY!" She threw her arms around his neck, seeing as he was still sitting next to Sofia and was at a more approachable height. "YAY!"

"Funny," Sofia giggled. "I remember feeling the same way when I first met you too."

The sorcerer chuckled as he gently held Davina, softly patting her back with his right hand. "I remember that as well. You might as well have been my very own fanfare."

"I still am." She grinned and playfully nudged him.

"Agh!"

All eyes in the room turned to Arabella, who was all but doubled over in pain as Gabriella and Sir Finlay quickly moved closer to her, placing their hands on her back as she groaned in misery.

"Ari, what's wrong?" Gabriella asked, frowning. "Tell me!"

Without speaking, the other woman slowly and carefully lifted her hands up for the others to see. She winced as they gasped in shock. The dark marks etched into her skin appeared to be sizzling and scorching her hands. She screamed in agony as one particularly sharp jolt nearly caused her to fall off the sofa.

"What's going on?!" Gabriella demanded, trying her hardest to placate her sister yet failing.

"It's got to be her connection to the Never Realm," Cedric told her remorsefully. "Whatever cult created those marks on her cultivated a link that will forever bind her to it unless she somehow severs those ties. Doing so is highly difficult though."

"But it's not impossible, right?" Sofia asked hopefully, her eyes trailing to Davina, who seemed rather focused on her aunt right now. Of course, that didn't surprise her; the little girl was probably highly concerned, as they all were.

"Not impossible, but not promising either," the Enchancian sorcerer responded, addressing them all.

"We must try," Sir Finlay insisted as he briskly approached the other sorcerer. "Cedric, Princess Sofia, please assist me. We'll need to investigate my library and see if there are any answers there."

Cedric nodded and placed Davina on a sofa next to Sapphire, who seemed really perplexed and conflicted. "Show us the way, Finlay."

As the trio left the room, Gabriella sat beside her sister, gently rubbing her back and trying to soothe her somehow, whispering comforting words to her.

"I wish I knew what to do," Sapphire told her little sister sadly, frowning as the toddler blinked up at her. "I feel so helpless, Davvy…"

Davina leaned over and hugged her big sister, smiling happily when the older girl returned her hug. She just wanted to see people happy again.

* * *

Sir Finlay, Cedric, and Sofia must have sifted through hundreds of books in record time, yet not one of them held viable information on cult marks from the Never Realm. There were several books about the dangers of being struck by magic from the Never Realm entities, and there were some about illegal experimentation and corrupt leaders turning to dark magic for success. Yet there was still nothing about Arabella's situation.

Empty-handed and unsuccessful, the trio returned to the common room where the girls sat. While Cedric and Sofia sat on the loveseat once more, Sir Finlay stood to the side with his arms folded and his eyes downcast.

"There wasn't anything, was there?" Arabella asked bitterly before gasping sharply as another surge of pain shot through her. "There never is…"

"The problem with the Never Realm is how secretive they are," Cedric lamented, frowning. "They know exactly what they're doing when they recruit impressionable young magic enthusiasts—sorcerers or no. They enjoy toying with people and causing them to suffer at their own expense."

"It was my own fault. I was stupid enough to think that I could use magic to get a guy to notice me and love me, and now I'm paying for it." She inhaled sharply before sighing. "Which I deserve."

Sapphire felt her bottom lip trembling as she watched her mother comfort her aunt. Even for all the powers she possessed, she knew that even she—one of the most powerful young sorceresses in the Ever Realm—would never be able to help Arabella get rid of those dark marks. She could move things with her mind; she could hover midair; she could do all sorts of things that most kids only dreamed of doing… But she couldn't save Arabella from one dumb mistake, and that broke her heart. She sniffled as she turned away, hiding her tears from the others.

Davina, however, noticed her sister's distress. She noticed the hopelessness nearly everyone around her was displaying. And naturally, wanting everything to be right again, she made a choice. She gently hugged her sister and kissed her on the cheek before sliding down to the carpet, hurrying over to Arabella and gently grasping her hands.

"Davina, no," Gabriella told her daughter, shaking her head and beginning to reach over to remove her hands. "Auntie Ari is in pain."

"Davvy help," the little one insisted, smiling serenely.

"Look!" Sofia gasped as she pointed toward the toddler's hands, which were clasped over Arabella's. "Are you guys seeing this?"

Cedric exchanged quick glances with Sir Finlay, who frowned in confusion. "It can't be…"

Sapphire even turned, wiping her tears away and looking toward her little sister. "Davvy?"

Everyone paused as they watched the toddler. Her eyes were closed, her head was lowered, and her hands were glowing around Arabella's. Arabella sat, eyes wide and mouth agape, as she stared at her niece. This couldn't be happening…

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Divine Davina


	3. Divine Davina

The Never Realm

Summary: While visiting Sir Finlay and Gabriella, Cedric and Sofia are surprised to learn of an uprising of the dark world that once caused Arabella's life to spiral out of control: The Never Realm. (References specifically to "Arabella" as well as all the other Helvetian Family stories)

Disclaimer: I only own Sir Finlay, Gabriella, Sapphire, Davina, Arabella, and the concept of the Never Realm.

A/N: Okay, guys! This is it—the final chapter. I know, it was a short story. But it served the main purpose I had: introducing the sinister nature of the Never Realm, and showing how those connected to it will suffer. With that being said, you'll see plenty more from the Never Realm in the next two stories in particular. The next one will be a _lot_ darker than this, and the one that follows is a connector that will be somewhat dark yet light at the same time. You'll see what I mean by that. We're also going to play around with alternate realities and a plethora of other things. :D Meanwhile, just a reminder that, if you can make it, Saturday from 6 PM to 7 PM CST, I'll have my Birthday Chat/Q&A if you want to/are able to attend. The rules for the chat are listed on my bio page here on FF. The link will be made available probably tomorrow evening when I'm home from work. That way, if you plan to attend, you can get a look at the site and see what it's like and learn how to sort of navigate everything. I won't be on until just before the chat Saturday, so there's that. 😉 Anyway, hope you've enjoyed this, and I'll see y'all in the next story!

* * *

Chapter 3: Divine Davina

* * *

Once the light had died down from the toddler's hands, Arabella glanced at her own hands. They were clear again—freed from the dark marks that had plagued her since she was a teenager. "Th-They're gone…" A relieved smile spread across her face as she laughed in disbelief. "They're gone! I-I can't believe it!"

"Davina!" Sir Finlay quickly hurried over to his daughter, who'd fainted and begun to collapse to the floor. He caught her just before she could make contact with the ground and sighed, scooping her into his arms. He gently pressed two of his fingers to the side of her neck and then her wrists, feeling her pulse and then hearing her soft breathing, before glancing toward the others. "She's all right. She just fainted."

"Likely from exhaustion," Cedric reasoned as Gabriella pulled her younger daughter from her husband, cradling her carefully.

"How did Davvy do that?" Sapphire asked in confusion as she stared after her sleeping sister. She knew _she _had powers and that they exceeded expectations, but her little sister had never shown signs of anything like what they'd seen before.

"I'd actually like to know that too," Sofia admitted. "She's so young, but she just completely eliminated dark marks from Ms. Arabella."

"I have a theory," Cedric offered, folding his arms and crossing his legs. "We all know that Sapphire was born with tremendous powers and is able to do things a normal sorceress can't or won't be able to do until advanced stages." Seeing the nods of agreement, he continued, "Perhaps little Davina is similar, but she has obtained some sort of Light Magic healing powers somehow."

Gabriella gasped at this suggestion, looking down at her toddler. "How can this be? I wouldn't even believe something like this is possible, had I not seen Sapphire's powers when _she _was a baby…"

The Enchancian sorcerer just shrugged. "I'm afraid I have no response to that, Mrs. Gabriella. However, I have a prediction. Her abilities, when properly trained, could really make a significant difference not only for other people, but also for the entire Ever Realm."

"I wouldn't want her to be in any danger though," Arabella sighed. "Don't get me wrong; I'm glad she got rid of those marks… I didn't say anything, but they'd been getting worse with their searing the last few weeks. It had started off really slowly and was hardly noticeable, but then it increased each time until what happened today."

"Perhaps it's correlated with your birthday," Sir Finlay surmised. "After all, what better time to really remind someone of her past than on her birthday?"

Arabella frowned and clasped her hands together. "I guess this is as much of a reality check as I could ever need. Don't mess with something that you're unfamiliar with. Especially if it has the Never Realm attached to it…" She then smiled as she glanced up and saw her older niece hurrying over to her, enveloping her in a hug. She reached up and wrapped her arms around the little girl. "Sapphire…"

"So, I hate to bring this up, especially today," Sofia began, "but… Considering what we just saw, it looks like you guys were right. The Never Realm _is_ getting stronger. And while Davina seems to hold the key to undoing that awful realm, I would hope she's not the _only_ one… A two-year-old can't bring healing and peace to _everyone_ without running the risk of hurting herself. We saw what happened when she healed Ms. Arabella. So… Do you guys think there are others out there like her?"

"Without a doubt," Sir Finlay acknowledged. "But I wouldn't even know where to begin looking."

"Maybe we won't have to," Cedric offered. "Maybe the answers will come to us instead. After all, we didn't need to go looking for a solution with Ms. Arabella. Davina offered it herself. I think it's only a matter of time before we discover more people with her abilities… Or maybe we already know them, and they haven't quite realized their capabilities yet. At this rate, who knows? But, and correct me if I'm wrong, that was Light Magic she just displayed…" He glanced up toward Sir Finlay, who nodded toward him. "Are you thinking the same thing I am?"

"It's possible," Sir Finlay murmured thoughtfully. "It will require further research though… I'll see what I can figure out." Before the others could question his and Cedric's unspoken train of thought, the older sorcerer merely smiled pleasantly at everyone else. "Let's put this all behind us now and move on though. This is to be a day of celebration. Two wonderful people who mean a great deal to us all deserve this day of recognition, so I say let's make the most of it."

Gabriella laughed softly as she patted her sleeping daughter's back. "Oh, Finny…"

* * *

After all was said and done, they did get to spend the rest of the evening celebrating, eating, and just enjoying each other's company. Because of their crazy schedules and obligations, this didn't get to happen as often as they'd like, so they did as Sir Finlay had suggested and made the most of it. Davina eventually awoke in time for cake, which she of course enjoyed. Sapphire, who was thrilled that her baby sister was all right, came around and was also able to enjoy herself. And the celebration carried on into the later evening before Cedric and Sofia finally had to leave.

* * *

"What aren't you telling me?" Sofia asked when they were finally alone in the AutoCoach and heading back to Enchancia. She was sitting across from him, her arms folded as she leaned against her knees and stared at Cedric imploringly. He'd been rather quiet since they'd left Helvetica, and it was starting to get to her.

"What do you mean?" Cedric asked, yawning.

"Mr. Cedric."

He blinked, sensing the annoyance in his partner's voice. He sighed. "Very well… I did promise you that we'd have no more secrets, and you'd know what I know and be able to do what I do…" He massaged his hands as he spoke, "You now know the detriment the Never Realm can cause. You know the negative aspects of it and how it can tear families and friendships apart. Those who rule there are said to be the most despicable, evil, vile creatures any realm has ever seen. It's not that they're indestructible though… It's just that there are very few who meet the qualifications _to_ destroy them."

"And who _are_ those people?"

Cedric eyed her carefully. "The Light Hearts."

Sofia blinked. "The what?"

"The Light Hearts: people who possess a surprisingly high amount of Light Magic. As we discovered today, Davina is probably one of those people. Light Hearts are born with the Light Magic already inside of them, and it takes a bit of coaxing to get them to use it. Typically, it is done when they sense that their closest friends or family are in danger because of dark magic, especially from the Never Realm. In fact, you and I both met someone in Reimagia who possessed this trait."

The princess gasped in realization. "Lady Maeve—the Mistress of Light Magic." She gaped at him as he nodded. "Is she in charge of it or something?"

"In Reimagia, I suppose you could say that. But there are far more powerful people out there who possess it as well."

Sofia frowned curiously. "There's something you're still not saying…"

Realizing where she was going with her query, he simply smiled. "Perhaps it's something _you're_ not _asking_, Sofia…" He chuckled as she blinked in surprise. "Go ahead."

She fidgeted with the material of her dress-robe and hesitantly asked, "Do you think…_I_…might…?" She was instantly flooded with memories of how she defeated Vor when she was still young, of defeating Kinoroh on her seventeenth birthday, and every other time she'd accessed some sort of powerful energy from deep within that she didn't even realize she'd possessed. Could _she_…?

"I'm not sure," he told her honestly. "As I said, the Light Hearts have a surprisingly high amount of Light Magic. We've seen you use it before, of course… And there's the whole matter with your hand magic which began when you were fourteen. As we were told, it's rare for someone of a non-magical lineage to be able to create hand magic, but that doesn't mean it's impossible." He shrugged and gave her a gentle smile. "I suppose you _could_ be a Light Heart, Sofia… You certainly possess all of the qualities."

"But I'm not like the others who—"

"When are you ever?" he asked, stopping her train of thought. "You're different. That's not a _bad_ thing. In fact, that's a _wonderful_ thing… Because you've managed to do more in your eighteen years, coming from a non-magical background yet immersing yourself in the culture and nurturing your capabilities, than most people do in a lifetime. So be proud of that, Sofia."

She smiled shyly, nodding and leaning up against the side of the coach. "Maybe we'll figure it out one day… If I _am_ a Light Heart, I think that's amazing… And it would make sense." She sighed as he nodded in agreement. "I just have one more question, Mr. Cedric."

Cedric noticed the change of tone in her voice before telling her, "Go on."

"I've got this weird feeling… I've had it for a while now, and I was curious if you've felt it too. I just feel like…something is about to happen, like a change is coming that we won't be able to fathom…or stop." She frowned in concern. "Do you feel it?"

Without saying anything, he held out his left hand and beckoned her over, sighing as she sat down next to him and leaned against his shoulder while he wrapped his arm around her. "Get some sleep, Sofia. We've got a long way to go…"

And he wasn't just talking about the ride to Enchancia.

The end (More explanations/scenarios coming in "Chasing Fate" and "Bittersweet")


End file.
